Your essay says a lot about YOU.

[Kitosdad]

An essay has no meaning, if it doesn't have something to say.

You have to be convincing.

This is your future, your driving ambition.

Make it read as though this is so!

Kitos.

TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between an upperclassman and a freshman coed
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Richard]

I have always loved your Priceless advice. :D
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Global Marketing

[Kitosdad]

It's free to all takers Richard. :)
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Anniehal]

I was considering what it princeles....Finally found that it is priceless..

Always loving and appreciating your suggestions!!

[Eedy]

In my opinion teacher should not be completely kind or completely strict.To begin the teacher should be kind with his students because a teacher who is kind with his students will not be feared by them and this is very important in education. In fact if the teacher is kind with his students, they will love him and they will have confidence in themselves.On the other hand when the teacher is too strict and too severe with his students and often punishes them severely this will have a negative impact on his students.For example, it is proved that if a teacher asks a question to his students and he threatens those who won't find the right answer by saying that he will beat them, nobody won't give the right answer for fear of being beaten.But as soon as the teacher hides his stick, the students will no longer be scared and they will give freely the right answer.But sometimes the teacher should be strict with his students because they are some students who are stubborn and who want to behave as they wish.Finally I think that a teacher should be both kind and strict

[Richard]

Hi dear Eedy
Is it an essay? Why have you written it here? :!:
Please start a new topic to write an essay.
On this forum:
http://www.english-test.net/forum/forum16.html
Click on new topic, write your essay then post it to the forum.
Best of luck.
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[Aitorzl]

you are so right Kitos.... at the beginning I used to wrote impersonal essays and after a while I realized that the more of myself I put in an essays the more attractive and complete it became....that's a key point for all of us trying to score well in the toefl...
good piece of advice... btw, I'm taking the toefl on december 4th; I've been kind of missing here.. too much work lately and just little time to spend to master toefl skills :(
all the best :)

[Topaze]

Hello, Kitosdad!

Well, a TOEFL essay should be logical, first and foremost. So, if that's what you meant by 'convincing', then it's absolutely true. However, somehow I'm not sure that is what you meant - my understanding is that you suggested making essays feel more personal. Generally speaking, it's good; however, a test essay and a letter of intent are completely different things, and what may be necessary for the latter may not be really needed for the former. I don't really think that being personal can actually help someone get a high score on a test. On the other hand, having a strong opinion can help a lot, since it tends to make reasoning more cogent, at least for some people.

All in all, I think there are too many variables involved to state something with confidence. My essay was pretty much impersonal, and I scored high. It's entirely possible that a person can pen a truly heartfelt essay and also score high - I'm sure there have been lots of such cases. ETS experts could, of course, clarify this matter and tell whether they actually take into account factors like sincerity, firm personal beliefs etc.

[Kitosdad]

Good morning Topaze. I fail to see how you construed my above post to imply that essays should be made more personal.

My sole purpose was in trying to convey that this final essay was their chance to demonstrate just how well they could state their opinion regarding the chosen topic, and to stress that this was THE most important essay that they were being asked to submit.

If I have been guilty of straying from the guidelines of offering instructional advice, then I feel that perhaps my only error was to ALWAYS suggest that the writer;

Keeps it simple.
Makes it "flow".
Makes it interesting.

Without the above "ingredients" then, for me personally, an essay has nothing to say.

Kitos.
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Topaze]

Then, I guess, I misunderstood your message. My apologies.

[Kitosdad]

No problem my friend, and no apology is necessary.

Like yourself, I am not a teacher, purely a willing volunteer.

Kitos.
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.